


Hailey & Jay: Love Happens

by Mslugantz



Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: F/M, Upstead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:14:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26374807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mslugantz/pseuds/Mslugantz
Summary: Will Hailey and Jay find their way? Will something or someone come in between them? Read more to find out! #Upstead (This story was posted a while ago before I was able to finish it, but it got mysteriously deleted, lol. So here it is again! Enjoy!)
Relationships: Jay Halstead & Hailey Upton, Jay Halstead/Hailey Upton
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: Hi, everyone! Happy New Year! I was planning to post this on New Year's Day, but I had a family emergency that has taken up absolutely all of my time and thoughts.
> 
> Just a quick note, constructive criticism is appreciated, but please no mean or rude comments (they will be deleted). Sorry for any typos or misspellings, I try my hardest to fix them when I see them. This is my first Chicago PD story, so please let me know what you all think. I have written a couple of stories for Brett and Casey; my favorite couple on Chicago Fire, but none for my PD couple, Hailey and Jay.
> 
> *My police jargon is limited, so please just work with me.
> 
> *Not sure if this will be a one-shot or not. I'm just gonna see how I feel with it and try to gauge everyone's reactions. If I do continue this, it will definitely be a SLOW-BURN.
> 
> Thank you for reading, please enjoy!
> 
> Copyright: I do not own or claim to own Chicago PD or any of its characters.

It was a very quiet night at the twenty-first police district in Chicago. All of the intelligence unit was currently camped out at their desks finishing the mountain of paperwork Voight requested be done by Monday.

"Hey, Hails can I borrow another black pen?" Asked Ruzek as he got up out of his chair and walked over to stand at the side of Halley's desk.

Hailey looked up and smiled as she reached in her desk drawer and pulled out another pen, "Make sure I get this one back, will ya."

Everyone in the room laughed at Ruzek who saluted Upton before he returned to his new desk, which had just been moved across the room, sat back down, and prepared to finish his mountain of paperwork that seemed to be taller upon his return to his seat.

Kim looked over at Adam and smiled. She was so excited for their date tonight. Although Adam had been very secretive with what he had planned, Kim knew he was planning to take her to Corey's for dinner.

"Hey, does anyone know if Kelly from Fifty-One can get me discounted Bears tickets?" Asked Rojas.

Everyone except Hailey paused from their work and started to engage in the conversation about Kelly Severide and discounted Chicago Bears Tickets. All Hailey could think about was the eight kids she and Jay pulled out of a small hidden compartment.

Their last case started out like any simple drug bust case, that is until Hailey discovered that the druglord running everything was using kids to get his product from his suppliers. It was hard to bust the guy when none of the kids would speak to anyone. But Hailey did it. She finally got one of the kids to break and tell them everything that was going on with 'Big Bobby' and the kids he used.

"What do you think, Hailey?" Asked Rojas who startled Hailey from her thoughts.

"What did you say? I'm sorry, I wasn't really paying attention."

Jay looked at Hailey with worried eyes before he answered, "We were just talking about going to the game this weekend if Kelly can get us all tickets, you in?"

"Umm...I think I'll pass on this one."

"You sure?" Asked Jay as he tried to calm the alarm bells going off in his head that knew Hailey would never miss a chance to go cheer on the Bears.

Hailey nodded before she grabbed her pen and stared at the folder in front of her, "Yeah, I think I'm just gonna try and relax this weekend."

Everyone nodded and agreed that they could all use that before they went back to their work.

"Night, guys." Yelled Atwater as he took his jacket and followed Rojas down the stairs and out the door.

Adam stood up and walked over to Kim, "Yeah, we should probably get going too. I've still got to drop you off at home before I pick you back up and we go out."

Kim nodded before she turned off her computer and grabbed her things, "Night, Hails. Night, Jay."

"Yeah, have a good night guys." Yelled Adam before he almost fell down the stairs.

Hailey and Jay both laughed before they yelled back to both of them.

"Well, it looks like it's just the two of us. Do you want to grab a drink at Molly's or go to Avenue for pizza?"

Hailey looked up at Jay and smiled, "Ehh, I think I'm just gonna go home before I meet my friend."

"What friend?" Asked Jay as he quickly tried to rack his brain thinking about all the people Hailey mentioned this week.

"Ehh, you wouldn't know him" Whispered Hailey before she turned off her computer.

Jay smiled, "I might, you know, I know a lot of people."

Hailey let out a small laugh before she stood up from her chair and started collecting her things.

"Hey, Hails are you okay? I know this last case was a tough one."

Hailey nodded and tried to hide her face so Jay wouldn't see the small tears that were starting to gather in the corner of her eyes, "Yeah, I'm good. I'm just really tired. It's been a tough couple of weeks, you know?"

"Yeah, I do. Are you sure you don't want to go out? We could do pizza and beer at your place or mine."

"I'm sure. Thanks, Jay."

Jay sat in his seat and watched Hailey put on her coat and walk down the stairs, "Night, Hails."

Hailey stepped out of the station and walked very fast to her new rental car that she had to get after purposely crashing her new jeep into the suspect's getaway car. She was biting her tongue very hard in order to keep the dime-sized tears from cascading down her face.

Jay stared at Halley's empty chair for a few minutes before he was interrupted by Voight.

"Hey, did Hailey already leave?"

Jay looked up at Voight and nodded, "Yeah, she left a few minutes ago. Do you want me to call her?"

Voight shook his head, "No, I just wanted to see how she was doing after closing the case. Did she seem alright to you?"

Jay thought about it for a second before he answered, "She's fine. I think she just needs time to relax."

"Get out of here, Halstead. I'm sure you have better plans for a Friday night."

Jay agreed before he grabbed his jacket and turned off his computer.

"Night," Said Jay as he passed by Voight.

"Night, Jay. Get home safe." 

'When are those two crazy kids gonna get it together.' Thought Voight as he watched Jay walk down the stairs and out the door.

As soon as Hailey got home she pulled her favorite shot glass out of the cabinet and downed a shot of whiskey. She already texted Ryan, her date for tonight, and told him that she wouldn't be able to make it. So now, all there was to do was sit by herself and think.

Hailey was just about to pour herself another drink when she heard her doorbell ring. Hailey immediately knew who it was. She smiled to herself before she sat the bottle of whiskey down and walked to the door.

"Jay, I told you I was…", Hailey gasped at who she saw in front of her.

"Derrick? What are you doing here?" Asked Hailey as she stared at the man she never thought she would see again.


	2. Chapter 2

Hailey gasped at who she saw in front of her, "Derrick?... What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Hails." Smiled Derrick.

Hailey stood there shocked. She never thought she would see this man again.

Derrick let out a small laugh, "Geez, Hails are you gonna let me in out not?"

Hailey shook quickly shook her head then moved aside for him to step in.

"Wow, Hailey you've really done well for yourself back here in Chicago."

Hailey didn't even register what he just said she just got to the point, "Derrick, what are you doing here? The last time I saw you was in New York over six years ago."

"Nice to see you too, Hails." Laughed Derrick as he sat on the sofa and began making himself comfortable.

"Cut the crap." Said Hailey as she rolled her eyes and locked her door. "I know you better than that, Derrick."

Derrick looked at Hailey and smiled, "That you do, Hailey. God, it's so good to see you"

Hailey laughed before she made her way over to the sofa and sat beside him. "It's good to see you too, but why are you here?"

"I had to come for a job." Whispered Derrick as he instinctively looked around for any possible eavesdroppers.

"A job? Asked Hailey as she looked the man up and down for any tell signs of lying.

Derrick smirked, "I'm not lying, Hails."

"Okay, then why did you come to see me?" Question Hailey as she got up to pour both of them a drink.

"Why wouldn't I come to see you? You were my favorite undercover wife to work wife."

Hailey let out a small laugh as she finished pouring their drinks, "You're something you know that?"

"Ahh, that's why you love me." Smirked Derrick as he watched Hailey make her way over to the sofa and hand him his drink.

"It's been six years, Derrick. Why the surprise visit now?"

Derrick sighed as he put his drink down, "Like I said a job?"

Hailey nodded, "Okay, what kind of job?"

"The kind that pays." Answered Derrick with a slight laugh.

"You're such a jerk." Smiled Hailey.

Both sat in silence for a moment just nursing their drinks before Derrick interrupted it, "I heard about Garrett, Hails. I'm so sorry. I know that must have been hard for you."

Hailey didn't look at the man in front of her she just continued to stare at her drink, "That was a couple of years ago now."

Derrick nodded before he downed his glass and got up for another. "Hey, you remember that time in SOHO when you tackled that bodyguard."

"I didn't tackle him...I just helped him get down to the ground probably faster than he ever has before."

Derrick shook his head in laughter, "Yeah, right. What was that guy two hundred, three hundred pounds and you just came out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground."

"Whatever. Hey, I remember a few stories about you too. Preferably one that involved a quick twelve-hour trip to Vegas."

Derrick quickly stopped laughing as he recalled the story she was referring to, "Yeah, we should probably keep the past in the past."

Hailey let out the girliest giggle ever heard at his sudden zip lipped policy on the past.

"God, it's good to hear you laugh again. Tell me about your team here. Last I heard you made it into Chicago's finest Intelligence unit."

"Keeping tabs on me?" Question Hailey as she got up to refill her way past empty drink.

"Nah. I just like to know where my past favorite partners end up in this world."

"I bet." Smiled Hailey as she brought the Bourbon bottle over for the both of them to finish. "So tell me any interesting girls in your life right now."

Derrick quickly shook his head, "No, you know I like to role single. Although, I did get married a few years ago."

"Really?" Asked a shocked Hailey as she almost spit her drink out at hearing that.

"Yeah, what's so hard to believe about that?"

Hailey smiled and continued to sip her drink, "Well, I see to remember you once telling me that you would never be one to get married because you were afraid of being tied down to one person for so long."

"Yeah, I did say that. But don't worry she only lasted about four months. I came home one day and found her in bed with the next-door neighbor."

Hailey visibly grimaced, "That's a tough one."

"Yeah, tell me about it. It was even harder to receive the invitation for their wedding a week after the divorce was final."

"Gosh, you know how to pick them don't you?"

"Yeah, I do." Laughed Derrick as he stared at Hailey "What about you? Any new guys into the mix?

Hailey quickly shook her head, "Nope. Can't say I have too much time for that these days."

Derrick nodded before they went back to talking about the past and catching up on the present. Both were so wrapped up in their past-due conversation they didn't hear the truck pull up outside.

Jay pulled up to Hailey's and smiled when he saw that her living room light was still on. He made quick work of parking his truck, unbuckling his seatbelt, and getting out with their pizza and beer. He knew Hailey said she had a thing with a friend tonight but he figured that after the day they had, no case they had, that she was bound to cancel and want to be alone.

Hailey walked up to the sidewalk and froze. She wasn't alone. Her 'friend' was here. Jay didn't know what to do. Did he go in? Did he text her and tell her he was here? He didn't know what to do so he just turned around, walked to his truck, and drove off.

"Did you hear that?" Asked Derrick as he got up off the couch and walked to the window.

"It's probably just a truck passing by." Comment Hailey as she picked up her phone and looked to see if she had any missed calls or texts from anybody.

"You expecting anyone?" Asked Derrick as he came back and took his seat next to Hailey.

Hailey hesitated for a second before she answered, she thought Jay might call or text after the last case they had, but she guessed not. "Nope, not tonight." Replied Hailey as she sat back and listened to Derrick finish his current story. The only thing she knew right now was that she was in for a very long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Sorry, for any mistakes.


	3. Chapter 3

Hailey sighed as she locked her door and looked at her watch. She and Derrick had stayed up talking and drinking until it was almost four in the morning. She didn't realize how much she missed him until tonight. It was hard to believe that the last time she saw him was six years ago. A lot has changed in that time. Neither of them seemed like the same people they were when they first met each other.

Hailey sat on her bed and checked her phone for what seemed like the fiftieth time that night. 'Why hasn't Jay texted or called me tonight?' Thought Hailey as she got up and pulled the covers back on her bed. 'We usually always text each other a good night or see you tomorrow.'

Hailey stared at her quiet phone for a few more seconds before she glanced at the clock and put it on charge. It was almost four-thirty a.m. now. Luckily, tomorrow was Saturday and Voight had graciously given them the day off since they were able to wrap up their last case today.

Hailey laid her head on her pillow and thought about the day. It had definitely been full of ups and downs. And now that Derrick was back in her life she had a lot to think about. She still wasn't a hundred percent sure why he just showed up out of the blue, but he said tonight that he wasn't going anywhere and he would be talking to her again very soon.

Hailey remembered the day they met like it was yesterday. She was fresh out of the academy and he was coming off of his first full year or being a cop. Both were still very new to the job, so when a CIA agent named, Boyd Drew, offered them the chance to go undercover as a newly married couple in New York City both of them jumped at the chance.

"Hi, I'm Hailey Upton."

Derrick looked up at her through his RayBan Sunglasses and stuck his hand out, "Derrick Rodgers. Nice to meet you, Hailey Upton."

Hailey shook his hand then turned to take the seat next to him while they waited for Agent Drew to come and give them their debriefing.

"So, Hailey Upton, tell me about yourself."

Hailey smirked, "You know you can just call me Hailey right? Or even Upton like most of the people we work with."

Derrick smiled, "Yeah, I could call you that or I could give you a nickname like Hailey-Bob or Uppy."

"If you ever call me either of those names I will murder you and hide your body so they never find it."

Derrick just laughed and went back to playing Solitaire on his phone, "What about Hails?"

Hailey looked up at Derrick and smiled, "It's better than Hailey-Bob and Uppy."

"Anything's better than Hailey-Bob." Laughed Derrick.

Hailey smiled as she laid in bed thinking about the day she and Derrick met.

"Crap, I need to reschedule with Ryan." Said Hailey out loud to no one in the darkness of her bedroom.

Ryan was Halley's original date for the night. Although, she was already going to cancel on him after they closed the case she still felt bad for leaving him hanging.

'Maybe we can have breakfast or something in the morning.' Thought Hailey before she turned to her side and closed her eyes. It wasn't long before sleep finally came to Hailey.

Jay, on the other hand, had no intention of going to sleep tonight. He was still reeling from what he saw earlier. Why he was so upset, he still didn't know. I mean he shouldn't be upset, right? Why was he so upset? It's not like they were dating or anything, I mean they were partners. Just partners...right?

As soon as Jay saw Hailey and that man through her living room window he returned to his truck and drove off the closest bar he knew.

"Hey, man. Why the cryptic call? You know I just got off of a fourteen-hour shift." Said Jay's brother Will as he came and sat by Jay on one of the barstools.

Jay looked at his drink and nodded, "I'm sorry. I've just had a really weird day."

Will ordered a quick beer, "I thought you said you were gonna have pizza and beer at Halley's tonight."

"Yeah, I guess I kinda misread her today."

"What?" Asked a shocked Will before he took a swig of his beer. "I thought you two were experts at reading each other."

"I don't know, man. We finished a pretty tough case today and I thought I'd find Hailey alone tonight like she always prefers to be after a case like today, but there was this guy there that I had never seen."

"Well, did she say she would have a guy there tonight?"

Jay looked at his brother and rolled his eyes, "That's not the point."

"Wait are you telling me that you're jealous of Hailey having a guy over that he already told you he was going to have over?"

Jay shook his head, "She told me that she was meeting a friend."

"So you thought she was going to drop all of her plans so that you could swoop in and save the night."

Jay smirked, "You know I don't know why I even called you if you're going to sit here and laugh at me."

"That's what brothers are for." Smiled Will as he nudged his brother's shoulder.

Jay nodded before he finished what was left of his beer.

"Do you at least know the guy's name?" Asked Will.

Jay shook his head, "No, but I heard her talking to Kim last week and she said she was going to have dinner with this guy named Ryan soon."

"You know things would be a lot easier for both of you if you just told her how you felt?"

"What do you mean?" Question Jay as he turned to look at his brother with wide eyes.

"Oh come on."

"Hailey and I aren't like that. We're just partners."

"Keep telling yourself that brother." Said Will as he got up out of his seat and clapped his brother on the back before he walked out of the bar.

Jay stared at the empty spot next to him and thought about what his brother said. 'Maybe I do have a thing for Hailey, but clearly, she doesn't have a thing for me or she wouldn't be going out with guys named Ryan.'

Jay pulled cash out of his wallet and sat in on the bar for both his and Will's drinks. He was so ready to go home that when he was walking out of the bar he accidentally bumped shoulders with a guy.

"Sorry, man." Said Jay as he walked on and didn't spare a glance to the guy he just ran into.

"Hey, that's alright." Replied Derrick as he walked into the same bar that Jay just walked out of and to the booth he was expected to arrive at.

"Did you get her?" Asked the stranger sitting in the booth waiting on Derrick.

"Yeah, we got her." Smiled Derrick as he sat in the booth and replayed the night events to the stranger.


	4. Chapter 4

Hailey rolled over onto her side and opened her eyes. Despite drinking all night and going to bed at four-thirty in the morning, she slept really well last night. How? She didn't know. She honestly thought that after the brutal case they closed yesterday, she wouldn't be getting any sleep for days to come.

Hailey sighed as her thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of her phone that indicated a new text message.

'Good morning, beautiful. I had fun catching up with you last night.' xDerrick

Hailey smiled as she read that message and the others she had already received this morning.

'Hey, you free today? Maybe we could get lunch or dinner.' xDerrick

'Morning. I know you said you had to work late last night, but what about brunch this morning since we didn't get to do our date?' xRyan

Hailey stared at her phone before she typed a response to Ryan saying that she would meet him for breakfast.

'Why hasn't Jay tried to text, call me, or come over?' Thought Hailey as she got up and made her bed. 'Maybe he was busy last night.'

Across town a couple of hours later, Jay was still dead to the world, with a slight hangover and snoring on his couch. As soon as he got home last night he finished the six-pack he was going to bring over to Hailey's. How he made it home without calling or texting her to ask who that guy was and why he was there, he didn't know. All he wanted to do was be there for Hailey. He knew this last case was hard on her.

Jay's snores were suddenly interrupted by his phone ringing.

"Hello," Dragged out Jay as he barely lifted his head up off of his couch.

"Jay? What's wrong with you?" Asked Kim.

"Ummm...I was still asleep. What's up?"

Kim let out a small laugh, "Well, sleeping beauty we have a case. "

Jay let out a sigh as he set up on his couch and gripped his phone in his hand, "Okay, text me the info, and I'll call and pick up Hailey."

"You got it. Hey, Jay you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks, Kim just a long night."

Jay hung up his phone then jumped in the shower before he would call Hailey.

"It sucks that you had to work late last night." Commented Ryan as he handed Hailey her coffee he just ordered and they started walking through the park.

Hailey winced from her own lie, "Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's okay, I understand. I just hope everything went okay, I know you said you were finishing a case."

Hailey nodded, "Yeah, it was fine. Just some last-minute things for the closeup you know?"

"Yeah, so when did you know…" Ryan was quickly interrupted by Halley's ringing phone.

Hailey looked at Ryan and mouthed sorry before she picked up her phone and walked over to another park bench.

"Upton," Answered Hailey without even looking at who was calling.

"Hey, we have a case."

Hailey immediately smiled at hearing his voice. A voice she had been waiting to hear since yesterday when she last saw him, "Umm...hey. Text me the info and I'll meet you there."

Jay paused for a second as he was walking to his truck with his phone to his ear, "Are you sure? I usually pick you up before we head to a scene."

"Umm..yeah I'm running a little late this morning, but just text me the information and I'll meet you there."

Jay rolled his eyes thinking about what was making Hailey run a little late this morning, "Yep, meet you there."

Hailey pulled her phone away from her ear and just stared at it, 'He never hangs up like that.'

Hailey then looked over at Ryan, who was sitting alone on the park bench and sighed.

"Umm...hey sorry that was work and we caught a case."

Ryan looked up at Hailey and started shaking his head, "You know if you really didn't want to go out with me you could have just said no when I asked you."

Hailey took a shocked step back, "Ryan, there's no need to act like that. I really haven't been trying to stand you up."

"Sure seems like that." Said Ryan as he stood up and walked closer to Hailey.

Hailey glared at the man in front of her, "You need to walk away. Now."

"Make sure you don't call me again, bitch." Said Ryan as he threw his coffee down and strolled away from Hailey.

'What was that?' Thought Hailey as she watched Ryan walk off before she turned around and made her way to her car before she was interrupted by her phone ringing.

"Upton,"

"Well, that's a formal way to answer the phone."

Hailey smiled as she sat in her car and buckled her seatbelt, "Hi, Derrick."

"Ahh, that's much better, Hails. So listen, a friend of mine has tickets to the Sayer concert tonight. What do you say to reliving our old days and being the oldest ones in the crowd?"

Hailey laughed as she pulled out onto the road, "I thought you said you were in town visiting, who's your friend?"

"That's beside the point, Upton. Are you in for tonight or not?"

"Sorry, I probably can't. We just caught a case at work."

Derrick snorted. "All you do is work. Are you standing me up or something?"

Hailey rolled her eyes, "You know, funny enough you're not the first one to tell me that today."

"Hailey Upton, are you a player?"

Hailey smirked at Derrick's playful attitude, "I'm almost to my scene so maybe I can call you later tonight."

"Okay, Hails."

Hailey sat in silence for a few moments before Derrick said something, "Hailey, you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here….Derrick?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Asked Derrick into his phone.

"Why do I have the feeling that you're not telling me something?"

Derrick sighed, "You are your feelings, Hailey Upton. They are always right."

"What aren't you telling me, Derrick?" Questioned Hailey as she parked her car at the scene and held her phone in her hand.

"I'll tell you when it's time."

"I gotta go," Whispered Hailey as she undid her seatbelt and spotted Jay making his way over to her car.

Derrick didn't say anything he just hung up the phone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There is mention of abuse and murder in this chapter. If that's a trigger for someone or too hard to read, please don't.

Derrick woke up the next morning after his and Halley's reunion at about six a.m. He had so much to do and prepare for it was insane.

"Morning, sir." Said Derrick as he picked up his ringing phone and turned off the treadmill he was previously running on.

"Rodgers, after our meeting late last night I have decided that we need to speed this process up. I tasked you with securing Upton because I thought it would be easily manageable for you, but if you can't do it then I need to know so I can send in the proper person."

Derrick sat down on the gym bench and sighed into his phone, "No, sir. I can do it. I just haven't had the chance to tell her why I'm here and what all it entails with her."

"Derrick, Hailey is essential to what we have planned."

"I know, sir. I'll get it done."

"Good." Replied the other person on the phone before he hung up. Derrick sat there just staring at his phone for what seemed like forever.

Derrick didn't know what to do so he got up from the gym bench and went back to his hotel room that offered a great view of Chicago.

How was he going to tell her that a job they both did years ago and that both thought had ended had never ended?

He was going to come in and wreck her life.

Derrick walked over to his hotel room window and stared outside. It reminded him of when he was a kid and used to love to stare out the window.

"Mommy, where are we going?" Asked little seven-year-old Derrick Rodgers as he watched his mother quickly pack up all of their belongings into black garbage bags.

Derrick's mom, Rina, stopped her fast packing and looked over at her young, scared little boy, "Baby, remember I told you that daddy's not very nice to us and we need to get away for a little while."

Derrick looked at his mother and practically sobbed at the black and blue patches all over her face.

"Here," Whispered Rina as she handed her young son a garbage bag, "Why don't you go to your room and start packing all of the toys you want to bring."

Derrick smiled and ran off with the bag in his hand. He wasn't in his room long before he heard screaming. Apparently, his dad had decided to come home early today. Of all days to come home early he had to come today.

Derrick and his mom didn't leave that day. Both of them never left the house again. On that day Derrick's dad came home and fought with Rina until he wrapped his arms around her neck and killed her.

Derrick watched the whole scene in front of him and ran to his mother's lifeless body right after it happened. He tried and tried to get her to open her blue crystal eyes but she never did. Derrick stayed by her body until the police showed up and cuffed his father. Because there were no grandparents or no other family, Derrick had to be put in CPS' custody. Derrick begged and begged the CPS lady not to take him away from his home, but he had to go. He had no one and no one wanted him. After that treacherous night, nobody wanted to adopt Derrick. He bounced around from foster home to foster home and eventually ended up on the streets of New York City.

The one thing Derrick did remember about his childhood and bouncing around from home to home was when the caseworker would come to pick him and his black garbage bag of belongings up; he would stare out of the car window on the way to the next temporary home.

Derrick's dad, Kurt, went to prison after that night and has been in there ever since. His lawyer thought he could get him forty years with the chance of parole, but that didn't happen. The day of the sentencing Derrick begged his foster parent at the time, Amy, to let him know how long his father would have to go away but no one ever told him.

Kurt never treated Derrick right. He hurt him just as much as he did Rina but that never stopped Derrick from loving his father just as much as he did his mother.

Derrick tried to reach out to his father and ask him if he could write to him more or come visit him at the prison, but he never responded. He didn't want anything to do with the son of the mother he killed with his bare hands. That hurt Derrick more than anything. Just the fact that no one wanted anything to do with him.

Derrick thought that's why he felt so strongly for Hailey. She was the first person in his life to want to stick around. She didn't make him feel guilty for the past or anything that ever happened. She was the most amazing person he had ever met. She actually reminded him a lot of his mother. She was kind, sweet, compassionate, and so much more.

She was the person he missed the most after they worked together and he went off to become a navy seal. Truthfully, he never thought he was going to see her again.

Derrick walked away from the window and went to sit at his desk. He sat down and pulled out a stack of folders, all of which contained the names, addresses, and much more information on every person of Chicago's finest Intelligence team.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Slight mention of child sex trafficking, nothing too graphic. No details are given.

"Here," Said a curt Jay as he handed Hailey a coffee as she got out of the car. "I figured you would need it after the night you had."

Hailey got out of her car and frowned at Jay's attitude. 'He never acts like this.'

"Thanks." Whispered Hailey as she wrapped her jacket around her and followed Jay over to the rest of the team.

"Yep." Called out Jay as he walked on and only lifted the yellow tape for himself.

Hailey looked her partner up and down trying to figure out why he was so moody this morning.

"Nice of you two to join us." Commented Voight as he saw Hailey and Jay come into view.

Hailey nodded, "Sorry. What have we got?"

"Allie Parker, twenty-six. She was found here early this morning, looks like a possible overdose, but the security camera caught her being thrown out of a van last night that we believe belongs to one of the well-known drug lords in this area." Said Kim as she went to stand next to Adam.

Voight shook his head at the sight in front of him and let out a small cough before he started placing orders on what he wanted to be done, "Okay, Burgess and Atwater, I want you all to get a copy of those cameras and see what you can find out about the van that dropped her off. Ruzek, you help Rojas talk to the people around here and see if they knew our vic or saw anything last night. Upton and Halstead, I want you all to talk to Allie's parents. See if they can tell us anything about Allie's past."

Everyone nodded and said their goodbyes before they went on their way to complete their tasks.

"Do you wanna drive or do you want me…"

Jay interrupted Hailey and walked off before she could finish, "I'll drive. Let's go."

"Okay, then." Whispered Hailey as she watched Jay walk off and leave her right where she stood.

The ride to their victim's parents' home was filled with complete silence. Neither Hailey or Jay said a word to each other. Both felt so uncomfortable you would think they had just met for the first time.

Talking to the parents and telling them that their daughter was dead was definitely hard for Hailey. She had never seen a grown man cry the way their victim's dad did. Apparently, the patrol officers that were supposed to come and inform them never did. So Hailey and Jay had to be the ones to break it to this old loving couple that their only beloved daughter was found dead alone in an alley.

"Again, we're so sorry for your loss." Said Jay as he and Hailey both walked out of the door and made their way to his truck.

Hailey got in the passenger side, sat down, and let out the biggest sigh causing Jay to look over at her with worried eyes as he started the truck and let it warm up.

"You alright?" He asked, looking at her and trying to keep his tone neutral.

"Yeah, I guess. That just never gets easy, you know?" She said, shrugging as she buckled her seatbelt.

Jay nodded and pulled the truck out of the couple's driveway, "Yeah, I know."

Hailey shook her head and stared out the window, "I mean that man was so upset, and the way he cried."

"Well, that was someone he loved. I guess you never really get over losing someone you love with all of your heart."

Hailey nodded and continued to stare out of the window, "Hey, are you okay today? You just seem kinda off and...grumpy."

Jay looked over at Hailey and raised his mouth in a slight smile that anyone would have missed if they weren't paying close attention, "Me, grumpy? Never!"

Hailey laughed and shook her head.

Jay felt accomplished at seeing her smile.

Both were quiet for a while before Jay finally gained the courage and asked what he had been waiting to ask since the moment he saw her, "So...how was your night last night?"

Hailey raised her head and turned to look at him. 'What did she say? Did she tell him about Derrick and how she doesn't trust him but is glad to have him back in her life?' "Umm...it was good. I just had a quiet night in."

Feeling his blood pressure start to rise at her obvious lie, Jay didn't say anything he just nodded and turned all of his attention on the drive back to the station which happened much like the drive there, in complete silence.

All of the team did a good job at completing their tasks that Voight had given them. Now they just had to wait for one of Ruzek's undercovers to call and help them get info on the druglord they now believed kidnapped Allie. Until that happened there was really nothing else that could be done, so Voight sent them all home and said he expected to see them all bright and early in the morning.

Jay was sitting at his desk finishing up a report that was way overdue when he looked up and saw that Hailey was also still at her desk working. She looked up and smiled at him.

"Hey, Jay," She whispered so low that he barely heard her.

"Yeah, Hails?"

"Why didn't you call or stop by last night?"

Jay almost gasps, caught off guard by her question. He takes a breath and is about to answer... but before he can Halley's phone rings out making both of them jump.

Hailey quickly looks at Jay before she answers the phone. He doesn't do or say anything, so she picks the phone up and says, "Hello,"

"Hey, Hails." Calls Derrick so loud through Halley's phone that Jay can hear every word he says.

"Umm, hey Derrick." Sighs Hailey as she thinks about his horrible timing.

"Do you think you can stop by my hotel tonight? I really need to talk to you."

Before Hailey even answers Derrick, she notices that Jay quickly jumps up from his desk, grabs his jacket, and practically runs for the door without saying goodbye to her.

"Sure, Derrick. I'm on my way. Just text me the hotel and your room number."

They hang up and Hailey sets her head down on her desk and sighs. 'What is going on between me and Jay?'

She sits there for a few more minutes before she collects her things and makes her way to her car.

On the other side of town, Derrick's pacing his hotel room. 'What if she says no? What am I going to have to do? This can only be complete with her.'

His thoughts and pacing are soon interrupted by Hailey's light knocking on the door.

"Hey," Smiled Derrick as he swings the door open and pulls Hailey in for a hug that she feels almost breaks her bones.

"Hey," Struggles Halley as she tries to get out of his strong grasp. "Okay, you're gonna have to let go."

Derrick laughs and immediately lets her go out of his arms, "Sorry, just didn't know if you were going to show up or not."

"Why wouldn't I have shown up? I told you I'd be here and here I am."

Derrick nods and leads Hailey over to the bar he has in his room fit for a billionaire, "Drink?"

"After the day I've had, please, and make it a double."

"That bad?" Asks Derrick while he starts preparing Halley's drink.

Hailey shrugs, "Yeah, I guess you could say it was."

Derrick hands Hailey her drink and leads her over the chairs by his huge glass window that overlooks the city, "Listen, Hailey, I really need to tell you something."

"Okay, what is it?" Questions Hailey before she takes a big gulp of her drink and sets it down on the glass table beside her.

"I need to tell you why I'm here."

"Okay," Lets out Hailey as he starts to feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, "Tell me."

Derrick sips his scotch and begins, "Do you remember Samuel Harlington?"

Hailey slowly nods, "Yeah, what about him?"

"Well, we put him away on our very first case together for sex trafficking young children, and...now he's out."

"He's out?" Practically yells Hailey as she slams her drink down and begins thinking about the nightmares she still has about this guy and the stories they uncovered with this case.

"Yeah, he's out. He's been out for about a year or two now."

"But, how? We both testified against him."

Derrick shrugs, "I'm not sure. But we have intel that suggests he's in Australia continuing with his operations. Only this time he has his young son running everything."

Hailey stares at Derrick like she's seen a ghost, "What does this have to do with me?"

"Well, since we were the pair to work the case, Drew wants us to go to Australia and pretend to be the married couple we were undercover."

"Drew?" Asks Hailey thinking about her old rookie days and Boyd Drew approaching her and asking if she wanted to work undercover for him in New York City.

"Yeah, Drew's still around. He found me a while ago, told me about the case, and asked if I could get you on board."

"Derrick, we both testified. He's going to know who we are and that we're both cops."

Derrick shook his head and put his hand on Halley's knee, "No, we testified to the prosecuting attorneys in confidence as undercover agents and our identities were never disclosed, so for all Harlington knows we're still that married couple who approached him and asked about getting a cut in his business."

Hailey sat there not saying anything for a while before she looked up and asked, "How long is it?"

"At least two months," Quietly answered Derrick afraid that would scare Hailey off more than anything.

"I need to think about it. I can't just leave my team like that for two months."

Derrick raised his head up and frowned, "Hailey, I didn't think you would want to do this again after what happened the last time with.."

Hailey shook her head and didn't let him finish the story that was sure to give her night terrors, "No, don't. Just give me time to think about it."

"Hailey, you're the only one who can bust this guy like before."

Hailey finished what was left of her drink before she stood up and said, "Just give me time." before she walked out.

Derrick cursed and threw his glass, breaking it into a tiny million pieces at watching Hailey walk out.

Hailey got in her car and immediately called the one person she knew would always be there for her.

"You can't do it!" Shouted Jay as he started to pace in Halley's living room.

"Jay, I think I have to. What if this guy does more damage than he did before? Think of the kids involved in this. They're innocent, Jay. I have to do what I can."

Jay took a seat on Hailey's couch and asked, "Why haven't you ever told me about Derrick?"

"There wasn't ever much to tell."

Jay nodded, "Hailey...I just want you to be careful."

"I will." Smiled Hailey.

"Okay," Nodded Jay, "I should probably go. We have to be back at work in six hours now."

"Yeah," Laughed Hailey as she got up to walk Jay to the door.

"Promise me that we'll talk about this some more before you make your decision?"

Hailey smiled before she put her hand on Jay's shoulder, "I promise."

Jay nodded and was about to walk out of the door but before he did, he swiftly turned around, grabbed Hailey around the waist, and pulled her in for a body-numbing kiss.


	7. Chapter 7

Hailey's laying in her bed staring up at the ceiling fan that has been going non-stop for the last couple of hours. She's so hot she can visibly see the sweat forming all over her body. She also can't sleep. All she can think about is him. Him. That's all she wants. She takes her fingers and traces her lips right where his lips touched hers. His lips felt so good next to hers. And the way he grabbed her around the waist, she has never been grabbed like that before. His arms were so strong around his body. And, he smelled so good that close to her. Everything about that moment was perfect. She just wished she could relive it over and over again.

'I wonder what he's doing.' Thought Hailey out loud in her head in the darkness of her room to no one.

She laid there still as a board for a few more minutes before she finally rolled over and stole a peek at the clock which read, 4:57 a.m. Hailey didn't think she would ever get used to the time change in Australia. I mean you would think that after two weeks, her body would have finally gotten used to it by now, but no. Every part of her was still in the one place she was dying to be every second of every day. Home. Home with her family in Chicago.

She and Jay never really spoke about the kiss before she left. Although, now she wished they did so she didn't feel so confused. Did she feel something for Jay the second his lips touched hers? Yes! Absolutely, yes! But, what did they do now? It's not like they could just jump in each other's arms and live happily ever after. There were way too many rules and regulations against that. But, Adam and Kim made it work somehow. Maybe...they could?

Hailey remembers telling Jay that she was leaving like it was a few minutes ago.

"You're going aren't you?" Whispered Jay as soon he opened his front door and saw her standing there.

"Jay," Started Hailey as she took a step forward and pushed herself in through the front door, "I have to. If I don't do this, I don't think I could actually ever live with myself."

Jay nodded and walked over to his fridge to get the both of them a beer, "Hailey, are you sure this is legit? Has this Derrick guy shown you any solid proof of an ongoing case."

"He brought me the case file today, Jay. Everything checks out."

Jay took a swig of his beer and let out a big sigh, "Hailey, about the other night…"

"Don't." Interrupted Hailey before Jay could finish his sentence, "Jay, I don't know what happened the other night, but I do know that I've never felt that before."

"Me too." Smirked Jay as he automatically thought about pulling Hailey in his arms and kissing her again until both of them were gasping for air.

"So, let's not talk about that until I get back, okay? It will give me...something to look forward to."

Jay nodded, "Okay, deal. But you have to promise me one thing."

Hailey quickly scanned Jay trying to find out what he was up to, "What is it?"

"Promise me that you'll write."

"Write?" Asked Hailey not fully understanding what he was talking about.

"Yep, write. I mean I know you'll probably be able to pick up your phone and call anytime you want, but when I was on my first undercover assignment that lasted over four months I remember that getting letters from my family was really the only thing that kept me going."

Hailey smiled at how cute and vulnerable he was being right now. The usually very tough and stoic Jay Halstead had a very sweet and romantic side, "I promise."

Hailey jumped as her 5:00 a.m. alarm rang out.

'Time to get up.' She thought as she threw her blanket off of her legs and jumped out of bed.

Many miles around the world in Chicago, Jay was sitting at his desk staring at the file he had been trying to finish filling out for the last hour. He was staring at it like it was going to get up off his desk and walk away.

He had thought about Hailey non-stop since he dropped her off at the airport weeks ago. They hadn't been able to talk much, but at least he knew she was okay. He hated that she was away from him and he couldn't see her every day.

"God, I sound like I'm in love." Grumbled Jay as he dropped the pen in his hand and sat back in his chair.

The weeks without her had been hell. Everything seemed off in his life. It was like he was missing an essential part of life.

He had been doing everything he could to continue working and trying to not worry about her as much. But, that proved to be harder than it seemed. He knows he probably shouldn't have but he had one of his old friends from his army days, who now works for the CIA, look Derrick up. He waited for about two days before his friend got back to him and told him that Derrick was fired from the agency four months ago for selling information on operations. Apparently, no charges had been filed against him because of his 'friends' he had everywhere.

This was all the information Jay needed to pull Hailey out. Or so he thought. He had been trying to call her since the day he heard from his friend, but he had heard nothing. He didn't know what to do. Something in his gut told him that something was wrong here. But what could he do? He couldn't just hop on a plane and go to her; their location was not to be disclosed under any circumstance. So...what now?

Another minute passed and Jay was shutting his computer off and closing his file when he saw something fall off of his desk. He looked down at the floor and noticed it was an envelope. A small white envelope. He reached down to pick it up and smiled immediately when it touched his fingers and he saw his name and address written in Halley's handwriting.

He quickly sat up and tore through the envelope like it was Christmas.

Dear, Jay…


	8. Chapter 8

*Dear, Jay

Hi. How are you? I'm keeping my promise and writing you a letter like I said I would. How's the team? Has anything interesting happened since I've been gone? Any new cases?

I really miss you all. Australia is definitely not Chicago. Remind me to never try the deep dish pizza here again.

And before you ask, yes I am safe. We haven't done anything except plan everything we're going to do. Though, Derrick says we should start moving with things here soon. I don't think we'll have to be here long, with the ways we have things set to go.

Remember, you can write back. I just probably won't see your response for a while considering I can't give you our exact location. And, don't forget the number I gave you; only you can call me and I can't call you. Sorry, I hate mission rules. I know it's stupid. I really wish I could just pick up the phone and call you on nights that I can't sleep.

I have to go, I've been sitting here too long not finishing my work, but I really miss you. Stay safe. I know how you are, Halstead. So please make sure you're being careful.

And please call. I would love to hear your voice.

Yours always,

Hailey.*

Jay looked up after he was done reading his letter and sighed. He missed her so much.

He knew something was off with all of this. Hailey should have never gone.

"You're still here?" Questioned Voight as he walked up to Jay's desk and sat on the corner of it.

Jay nodded and sat back in his seat, "Yeah, I was gonna try to finish the rest of my paperwork so I didn't have to come in early Monday morning."

Voight threw a glance at the bare paperwork sitting on top of Jay's desk, "But you didn't get it done. Why?"

Seconds ticked by before Jay finally answered, "I ugh...I just couldn't focus. I guess."

"Jay...Hailey knows how to take care of herself. She's good at her job and she knows what she's doing out in the field."

Jay nodded in agreement, "I know, Sarge. There's just something off here. I had one of my friends in the CIA look up Derrick, and he told me that Derrick was fired months ago with another agent for selling information on cases.

Voight started to share Jay's worry at hearing that, "You're saying that he doesn't work for who he's saying he's working for."

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Sighed Jay for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Okay, well I'll have one of my high-up pals do some digging for me and tell me what he can about the case they're working on."

"Thanks, Sarge."

Voight nodded and stood up, "You get some rest this weekend."

"I will." Said Jay as he stood up and started getting his things to leave for the night.

"And don't forget to get that paperwork done." Called Voight as he made his way down the stairs.

Jay grinned and quickly threw a look at Hailey's empty desk before he got his things together and went home for the night.

While on the other side of the world, miles away, Hailey had just woken up for the morning and was starting to get ready. Today was a big day. Today they made their first contact with William Harlington, Samuel Harlington's son.

They were set to have lunch at this large family-style diner. That way they could meet him in public and hopefully get in with him. They needed him to invite them into the operations as potential business investors.

Hailey was nervous they wouldn't buy the story Derrick made up about them being business investors. She knew they had limited time to stop William before his next shipment of children went out.

"Hey, you ready?" Smirked Derrick as he slinked his way into Halley's room and came to stand next to her at her floor-length mirror.

Hailey looked at Derrick like he had three heads, "How did you get in here? I thought I locked the door."

Derrick smiled and walked to Hailey's fridge to pull out a water, "I have my ways, Hails. Now come on, we don't want to be late."

Hailey nodded and grabbed her purse that held her small backup gun and a pocket knife. "Yeah, let's get this over with."

Derrick laughed and led Hailey out of the hotel and to their rental car where he got in the driver's seat.

"Have you spoken to anyone from back home?" Casually asked Derrick as he steered the car onto the main road.

Hailey glanced out the window and saw the other cars speed by, "I wrote to Jay this past week, but I haven't heard from anyone else. And, I haven't gotten any calls."

"Hmm. That's weird."

Hailey turned and gave Derrick a small frown, "Hey, are you sure that number you had me give them was right?"

"It should be, " Nodded Derrick as he continued to drive and not spare one glace at Hailey. "We can double-check it when we get back to the hotel if you want."

Hailey nodded in agreement and went back to staring out of the window mentally preparing herself for the show they were about to put on.

The silent tension-filled drive went on for a couple more minutes before Hailey noticed Derrick driving right by the meeting spot.

"Ughh, what are you doing? You just passed the meeting spot."

Derrick shook his head, "No, William contacted me earlier this morning and changed the location."

"Why am I just now finding out about this?!" Practically screamed Hailey as she tried to keep her anger and nervousness in check at the same time.

"Whoops. My bad." Smiled Derrick.

"You ass." Called Hailey as she turned in her seat and tried to mentally come up with a new game plan that involved a new location neither of them had seen before.

The drive lasted for about thirty more minutes before Derrick tuned down a gravel driveway and stopped in front of an old warehouse building.

"Come on, Hails. Cheer up. Just think, you're one day closer to getting back to Chicago."

Hailey rolled her eyes and unbuckled her seat belt before she got out of the car.

She and Derrick were both walking up the path to the door when she heard a truck rev up and speed on the gravel.

She went to turn around and get a look at the truck but when she did she was too late. The truck was barreling towards her.

The only thing she could really hear was Derrick's scream before she felt the hit and herself flying through the air.


	9. Chapter 9

All Hailey could remember when she opened her eyes and gazed around the extremely white hospital room was the sound of a truck, Derrick screaming her name, and feeling herself literally fly through the air.

"Ow," Groaned Hailey as she slowly sat up in the bed and gently patted the bump on her head. "Hello," She called, praying that someone would suddenly appear. But no one did.

She was already growing tired from the effort it took to open her eyes, so she put her head back on the pillow and sighed. She wasn't quite sure where she was, everything at the moment seemed pretty foggy.

Time seemed to be ticking so slow from the time she opened her eyes to now.

"Hey," Whispered the voice Hailey had been praying to hear since her plane took off weeks ago.

Hailey whipped her head up and almost jumped off the bed at hearing the monitor attached to her beep at heart sudden heart rate increase.

"Jay," Gasped Hailey, not believing what she was seeing or hearing in front of her.

Jay smiled and came to sit on the side of Hailey's bed beside her legs, "Yeah, Hails. It's me."

"How are you...here? How did you know where I was?"

Jay shook his head and placed his warm hand on Hailey's leg, "That doesn't matter right now, Hails. All that matters is that you're okay and we're here together.

Hailey nodded and took a big deep breath, still trying to grasp the fact that he was here with her and not in Chicago.

They sat there just staring and smiling at each other for about a minute before Hailey felt a sudden stabbing pain in her head. "Ouch," She called out, quickly catching Jay's attention.

"Hails, maybe you need to rest some more."

Hailey slowly nodded and slid back down on her bed. She was just about to close her eyes, but before she did she opened them and quickly caught Jay's hand in hers.

"Promise, you'll be here when I open my eyes."

Jay smiled and gently brought her hand up to his lips to give it a peck, "I promise."

Hailey smiled and closed her eyes. It all felt so real until she felt that stabbing pain in her head again. This time, though, when she opened her eyes there was no white hospital room. It was all back and dark and she was laying on the floor.

"Hey, you're awake." Grinned Derrick as he knelt down by Hailey on the floor and started to look at the cuts in her face.

"Where am I?" Grogged out Hailey as she tried to sit up and get a better look at her surroundings.

Derrick roughly pushed Hailey back down on the floor which made her grunt in pain.

"What are you doing? Why are we here? Where's Jay? What have you done to Jay?"

Derrick stopped looking at her cuts and brought his eyes up to meet hers, "Hailey, Jay was never here. You told me you haven't spoken to him since we left Chicago; you must have been dreaming about him."

Hailey's eyes widened at hearing that. "No! No! He was here! He touched me; I felt him. He was here."

Derrick sadly shook his head at her. "Sorry, Hails."

Hailey felt so bad at the moment all she wanted to do was cry. "Where are we?" She finally sobbed out, her voice was shaking so bad she didn't think she could make it through a single sentence without a tear.

"Umm..you don't look too beat up, Hails. I would say the goose egg on your head is going to hurt like hell for a while but other than that just looks like a couple of ad cuts and cruises."

Hailey knew something was wrong because the whole time Derrick was talking to her and looking her over he would not meet her eyes for anything.

"Hailey, I'm so sorry. I should have never…"

"Derrick!" Interrupted Hailey at the top of her lungs. "Where are we!"

Derrick didn't say anything he just sat there like he was a kid being caught doing something he shouldn't be doing.

"Is she finally up?" Asked someone who slinked into the room but was completely hidden in the dark.

"Yeah...she's up." Replied Derrick in a shaky voice as he got up off the floor and made his way over to the hidden man.

"Who are you?" Yelled Hailey as she tried to get a glance at the man.

"Oh, don't tell me that you've already forgotten who I am, Hailey Upton."

Hailey gasped as he saw the man step out of the shadows. It was Ryan! Ryan, the guy she was supposed to be going out with and dating when Derrick came into the picture.

"Ryan? What are you doing here?"

Ryan laughed and patted Derrick on the back before he went and stood in front of Hailey. "Nice to see you too, Hailey. What has it been? A few weeks?"

"Oh my God, what are you doing here?" Hailey tried to get up and move but she noticed for the first time being awake that there were chains around her feet. "Get me out of here!" Screamed Hailey as she moved her legs back and forth trying to free herself.

Ryan smirked and walked back over to where Derrick stood frozen, "Hailey, I hate to tell you this but you're not going anywhere."

Hailey felt her stomach drop at his revolting comment. "You can't do this to me! Derrick, get me out of here!"

"Oh, you didn't think your little friend, Derrick, here really came back to go and save the world with you, did you?"

Hailey looked at Derrick and saw the terror on his face at being sold out by Ryan.

"Derrick, look at me!" Ordered Hailey still struggling to free her feet from the chains.

Derrick slowly lifted his head, "I'm sorry, Hails."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There will be a scene where a rape will try to take place. If that is hard for anyone to read please don't. Nothing too graphic is mentioned.
> 
> This will be the last chapter of this story unless I decide to do an Epilogue chapter in the future. Thank you to everyone for the reviews and support! I can not tell you how much they have meant. I know everyone didn't like this story, but for those of you who have read and followed it to the end, I am SCREAMING thank you! Enjoy and please stay safe everyone!
> 
> *This was so hard for me to write! I am so, so sorry if it's horrible. Lol.

Hailey stared Derrick in the eye and felt her heart start to race before she screamed at him. "Why are you sorry, Derrick!? What did you do!? Derrick!?"

Derrick stood there silent as an oak tree in a forest.

"Let's go, Derrick. We need to come up with a plan before we move her." Yelled Ryan as he walked out of the room and was quickly followed by Derrick.

"No," Whispered Hailey as she watched them walk out of the cold, dark room and slam the door shut. The sound of a lock coming into place and retreating footsteps was all Hailey could hear as she stared at the closed door.

She wiggled the chains around her legs trying to break them free, but they stayed in place, unbroken. She gently sat up against the wall and winced in pain as her head started to throb.

Minutes, hours, and days passed by before the pain started to go away and get worse at the same time.

There was literally no way out of this room. It looked like it used to be a big, old walk-in freezer. Hailey was sure there was a lock on the outside because every time Ryan or Derrick would attempt to come in, they would spend at least twenty seconds outside the door fiddling with chains and locks.

They hadn't told her why she was there. Every time one of them came into the room, Hailey would try to talk to them or get one of them to look at her but they wouldn't. They completely ignored her unless she told them she had to use the bathroom, then one of them would unchain her and blindfold her then walk her to the bathroom and watch her the whole time.

Hailey tried to count the number of steps every time they walked her to the bathroom, but it was hard to keep track because every time they took her the walks would get shorter or longer. Hailey figured that was because they were using different bathrooms to try and confuse her.

The room they kept her in had no windows, so Hailey wasn't sure whether it was day or night. She figured she'd been there five days though because she had counted at least five different outfit changes from both Derrick and Ryan.

Ryan? Hailey still couldn't figure out how he was involved. How did he and Derrick know each other? The last time she saw Ryan was that day in the park when he thought she was standing him up. Funny enough though, Derrick showed up on her doorstep the night before that. Were they working together this whole time?

"No," Whispered Hailey as she shook her head and rubbed her sore, chained ankle. Her ankles were blood-red from the chains constantly rubbing against them; that they ached the whole time Hailey would try to close her eyes and get some sleep.

Hailey thought a lot about Chicago and Jay. What if she had listened to Jay and not come? Would she be here? Would Derrick still be around?

Hailey felt a single tear slide down her cheek and give her face a salty kiss. She honestly didn't know how she was going to get out of this. Derrick and Ryan both knew what they were doing, and they knew everything about her; how she thought, what she would look for, everything. They were both far too careful to leave any mistakes.

Anytime one of them came in to see her, give her food or anything else they made sure to keep a gun on her the whole time. Hailey honestly thought that one of them would shoot her and not look back. She didn't think Derrick would even flinch now. What happened to him? He used to be such a good guy. No, he used to be an amazing guy. He was someone Hailey thought would always be there for her and have her back.

Hailey laid down on the floor and stretched her legs as much as the chains would allow. She shivered as her pale, scratchy skin made contact with the cold concrete floor. She told them both that she gets cold and would like a blanket but they ignored her.

Hailey turned on her side and cringed as her black and blue ankles started to thump with pain. Each time she moved with the chains on, it felt like her feet were trying to be pulled off her body.

You couldn't imagine how dirty she felt; it had now been days since she had a shower or even looked at herself in a mirror. Every inch on her body felt like it had been through hell. Her hair felt so greasy and tangled. Every time she ran her hand through her hair she would find knot after knot.

Hailey's body started to shake from the coldness and the tears that were streaming down her puffy, red face. She was so mad at herself. How could she have been so dumb to have trusted him and come all this way? This was her fault. She should have listened to Jay when he said he didn't have a good feeling about this, and she should have trusted her gut. She knew when Derrick came back that something wasn't right, but she still blindly trusted him and followed him.

Sleep started to invite Hailey away when she finally calmed down and stuffed her arms in her shirt to keep warm. She closed her eyes and the first thing she saw was Derrick and the memory of their very first case together.

"Hey Hails, what do you say to grabbing a bite to eat with me once we get all of this paperwork wrapped up for the night?"

Hailey looked over at Derrick and smiled, "Sure, I could eat. Just let me finish up this file then I'll be good to go."

Both Derrick and Hailey were ecstatic that night. They had just wrapped up their first case together and went off without a hitch. Everything seemed to go according to plan.

Derrick nodded and stood up to grab his bag and coat, "Okay, since I'm better at my job and already finished with my paperwork, I will meet you at the pizza place across from the hotel when you finish up here."

Hailey laughed at Derrick's cocky attitude before she agreed with his plan and watched him leave the building.

Once Hailey knew he was out of the room and gone she put her pen down and stared at his empty desk. Everything between them seemed...weirdly great. Hailey had never worked this well with someone. Their relationship was amazing. He was like a big brother to her. The banter they had between each other was often the only thing that got her through the day. It was usually the first thing they said to each other and the last thing. There was never a good morning or good night. It was always a joke about the way the other looked or knocking on each other for being late or whatever else.

Hailey sat back in her chair and smiled. She finished up her work and left not too much longer after that.

It was nice outside for the middle of June in New York City, so Hailey decided to walk to the hotel. It was about eight-thirty when she left the office building so it was just starting to get dark. The streets were filled with tourists and angry residents as they tried to wade their way through the crowds. She thought New York was a neat place compared to Chicago.

She was about a block away from the hotel when she decided to cut through an alley and save herself from literally having to push tourists out of the way. She was so concentrated on getting back to the hotel and getting ready to go out and get a quick dinner with Derrick, she didn't hear the heavy footsteps that quickly caught up with her.

She felt the man grab her arm and spin her around before she heard him.

Hailey screamed as she was spun around and slammed against the wall. A strong, older looking put-together man stared back at her.

"What do you want?" Rattled off Hailey as she felt a blade make contact with her ribs.

The older grim-looking man cast a sadistic smile before he leaned right next to her ear and whispered, "You."

Hailey gasped as the man slowly started to move the blade back and forth on her skin casting chill bumps all over her body from the top to the bottom.

"I'm….a cop."

The man let out a nerve tearing laugh, "I know. I've been watching you and your little guy friend for about a week now."

Hailey tried to pull away from him and get the upper hand, but it was impossible. This man was huge, easily two or three hundred pounds of pure muscle.

He took his old, calloused hand and slid it up so he could wrap it around her neck. "Listen, bitch. If you make one sound I will end you and leave you right here in this alley for your boyfriend to find you. Understand?"

Hailey sat there not moving until she felt his hand get stronger around her neck. She nodded and gasped for air when he dropped his hand and placed it on her jeans.

She froze when she realized where this was headed. He was going to rape her. Right here in an alley a block away from her hotel in New York City he was going to rape her.

She was a cop. This wasn't supposed to happen to her. It was her job to take down men like this. This couldn't be happening to her.

Hailey's breathing started to become erratic as she felt his unwanted hands touch her shivering body and try to pull her jeans down. She tried to struggle and wiggle as much as possible, but every time she moved he would stick the blade towards her ribs causing a little pinch and a warning of more pain to come.

Just as she felt her zipper slide down on her jeans, Hailey closed her eyes and said a prayer. She was just about to ask God for help when she heard the gunshot.

She opened her eyes and gasped at seeing her assailant on the ground bleeding from his knees.

"Hails, you okay?" Gently whispered Derrick before he put his gun back in its holster, on his waist, and made his way over to stand in front of her and put his hands on her shaking shoulders.

Hailey couldn't take her eyes off of the man on the ground. All she wanted to do was stomp him and beat him until his life bleeds out of him.

"Hails?"

Hailey finally lifted her eyes at feeling Derrick shake her shoulder.

"Hailey, you're scaring me. Are you okay? Did he…"

Hailey quickly shook her head as fast as she could, "No...he didn't. I'm fine."

"Good." Smiled a relieved Derrick before he got his phone out of his pocket and prepared to call the incident in.

"You saved me."

Derrick's eyes shot up and met Haliey's watery eyes, "I always will."

"Hailey!" Whispered a rushed voice in the complete darkness. "Hailey!"

Hailey slowly opened her eyes and tried to stretch her legs as much as the chains around them would allow. She wanted to cry at still being in this cold, black room.

"Hailey, wake up!"

Hailey almost jumped at seeing and hearing someone in the dark beside her chained feet. Although, the room was pitch back and she couldn't even see her hand in front of her face, Hailey had a pretty good idea about who was whispering her name and moving the chains around her feet.

"Derrick? What are you doing?"

"Shhhhh! We have to be quiet. Don't make too much noise."

"Derrick, what are you talking about?"

Derrick paused and lifted his head from fiddling with the chains, "I'm getting you out of here, Hailey."

Over nine thousand miles away Jay was worried. He hadn't spoken to Hailey since the day she left. Yes, she sent one letter, but that was it. He's been trying to call the number she gave him for days and he heard nothing. He knew something was wrong. He's had a bad feeling the minute he dropped her off at the airport that morning. Something wasn't right.

"Hey, have you heard anything from Hailey?" Asked Adam as he walked into the room and came over to stand in front of Jay's desk.

Jay sadly shook his head and continued to stare at his phone.

"I'm sure she's fine, man. She'll be back before we know it."

Jay nodded and jumped as he saw his phone light up with a text. It wasn't anything important though, it was just an old friend in town seeing if Jay wanted to catch up.

Jay wanted to throw his phone down as soon as he picked it up and saw that it wasn't Hailey.

"Jay, I need to see you for a minute. " Called out Voight from the door of his office.

Jay looked up and knew something was wrong. He quickly slid his chair back and jumped up.

"What's wrong, Sarge?"

Voight looked up at Jay and sighed, "Take a seat."

Jay hesitated a second before he walked forward and sat in one of the seats right in front of Voight's desk. "It's Hailey isn't it?"

Voight stared at Jay and slowly nodded, "I heard back from my friend I told you I was gonna talk to and he said…"

"What did he say?!" Anxiously asked Jay as he felt his palms and forehead start to sweat.

"Jay, he said that there is no record of any recent missions with a Derrick Rodgers."

Jay sat there stunned.

"He confirmed what your friend at the CIA said about Derrick and his partner being fired and he said that there is no record of Hailey ever being contacted in the last few years about any case."

"What do we do now?" Questioned Jay.

Voight sighed and leaned back in his chair, "Jay, there's nothing we can do. We have no solid leads on any locations. For all we know, they could have turned around and could still be in Chicago."

Jay shook his head and reached into his back pocket where he pulled out Hailey's last letter she sent him, "No, they are in Australia. She wrote me a while ago, with no return address, and said that they were in Australia for the case."

"Jay, that's even worse. It's not like we can load up your truck and take a drive over there. There is literally nothing that we can do. We have no jurisdiction to do anything."

"You're saying we just let a member of our team fend for themself"

"Jay, Hailey is one of the best cops I know. She knows what she's doing, and she knows how to handle herself in any situation."

Jay felt like his heart was being ripped out his chest knowing that his partner was alone and possibly hurt.

"Take it easy until we get a solid lead."

Jay nodded and slowly picked his heavy feet up so he could leave the room.

"Hey," Called out Voight causing Jay to turn around in the doorway. "Don't do anything stupid, Halstead."

"No promises," Sadly smirked Jay as he walked back to his desk and sat down.

Jay couldn't count the number of times he had pulled out his phone and pressed the call button just so he could hear her voice. Even if it was just her announcing that whoever was calling had reached her voicemail, it was something. He still got to hear her voice and picture her there right in front of him.

He thought he was starting to go crazy. He literally thought about Hailey almost every second of every day. She was the first thing he smiled and thought about when he woke up and the last thing he smiled and thought about when he laid his head on the bed to go to sleep at night.

He sat at his desk and grinned ear to ear thinking about the last night he spent with her where he spun her around and kissed her. Her lips felt so plump and soft next to his. It was like kissing a cloud or a nice spongy cupcake that smelt like nothing but lavender and honey.

Jay sighed as thinking about Hailey was interrupted by his computer that dinged with a new email. He wanted to curse whoever interrupted him and his thing about Hailey and soft plump lips.

Jay slowly leaned forward in his chair and opened his email. As soon as he read what it said he froze and felt a chill run down his spine.

"I'm so sorry, Hailey. I never meant for it to get this far."

Hailey's chest started to beat very fast as she listened to what Derrick was saying, "What was the plan with me? What were you all going to do with me?"

"Hailey, none of that matters now. I'm going to get you out of here and get you home."

"Tell me!" Said Hailey a little louder than Derrick would have liked at the moment.

"Okay, okay! But, keep your voice down and don't make too much noise. If Ryan hears us it's over, do you understand me? He'll kill us both on the spot."

Hailey nodded and grabbed Derricks's hand on her ankle so he would continue talking and trying to get the chains off of her.

"It all started about three months ago when I was fired from the agency with my partner."

"What were you fired for?"

Derrick smirked knowing that as soon as he said that Hailey would ask him why. "I was...we were…"

"You were what, Derrick?"

"We were selling information about missions."

Hailey's eyes widened at hearing that. She had no clue who the man in front of her was. He used to be one of the most honorable people she knew.

"What happened to you?"

"Hailey…"

"No, Derrick. What happened to you? You never used to be like this...you have saved me so many times, Derrick."

"And, I'm gonna save you again if you shut up, let me finish talking, and get you out of these chains he seemed to weld around your feet."

Derrick could feel the look Hailey was giving him after he said that, "Okay, listen I'm sorry. I just really want to get you out of her before Ryan wakes up and notices I'm gone."

Hailey nodded, "Okay, continue the story while you work."

"You were always so bossy, Hailey Upton." Quietly laughed Derrick as he viciously got one of the chains loose.

Hailey gasped when she heard the chain hit the ground. Her ankle was so red and swollen, that ironically Hailey didn't know if she would be able to move it now.

"My father got out of jail, Hailey."

"What?" Whispered Hailey as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I thought you said he was going to spend the rest of his life in jail for what he did to your mother."

Derrick nodded, "Yeah, that's what I thought, but apparently they let him out. The second I saw him everything changed for me, Hailey. I had an anger that I had never felt before, sweeping over my body. That's when I followed my partner and started selling information. After we got fired for that, we both got a job offer to…"

"To what?" Asked Hailey already knowing what he was going to say.

"To kidnap you and take you to the man we were selling information to which was Samuel Harlington."

"The man you tricked me into coming down here and trying to take down?"

Derrick cringed at hearing her say it like that, "Yeah, that's the one."

"What does he want with me?"

"Payback. But, I was never going to let him hurt you, Hailey. I only wanted to get some money so I could start over somewhere fresh."

Hailey nodded trying to grasp and understand everything Derrick was telling her. "Okay, but what does Ryan have to do with it?"

"He was my partner that I got fired with."

Hailey shook her head not believing him, "No, I was talking to Ryan months ago. We tried to go out on dates."

"Yeah, we planted him near you as soon as we got information on Harlington's plan. I tried to talk him into letting you go the day we got you, but he said he'd kill us both if I let you get away."

"Wow, so guys had all of this planned out from the beginning, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Hails. I really am, but what do you say to getting out of here and going home?"

Hailey smiled her first genuine smile in days and whispered, "Please,"

Derrick dropped the last chain from her ankle and smiled. "My pleasure. Now let's go."

Hailey nodded and tried to stand up but as soon as her feet hit the ground she fell. Her legs were so weak from barely being used, it's almost like they forgot what their job was.

"Here, Hailey," Whispered Derrick as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up to stand next to him so he could help her walk out.

Hailey nodded and gladly accepted the help.

Both were very quiet as they opened the door, from where Hailey was being kept and made their way into the main hallway that seemed to be just as black as Halley's dungeon.

"We can't use any lights because Ryan has this whole place surrounded with cameras." Whispered Derrick so close to Halley's ear that she felt his hot breath on her cheek.

Both were tip-toeing and praying the whole way to the door that led out of the warehouse. They were about twenty feet away from the door when they heard the sound of a gun cocking behind them.

Both Hailey and Derrick froze and squeezed each other as tight as they possibly could before they turned around and faced the devil himself.

"What in the hell do you think the two of you are doing?"

Hailey felt her heart literally plummet at seeing Ryan pointing a gun at both her and Derrick.

Derrick took a small step forward and practically shoved Hailey behind him, "Ryan, calm down. You and I both know that what we have been doing was wrong. We need to let her go and help her get home."

"She's not going anywhere!" Screamed Ryan as his eyes shifted back and forth from Hailey, who he could barely see from behind her tall protector, to Derrick.

"Ryan! We need to let her go! What we did was wrong!"

"If you take her outside of this warehouse, I will shoot you dead."

Everyone stood there quiet for a moment before Derrick finally responded, "Do it then!"

Hailey gasped out loud as soon as she heard those words leave his mouth, "Derrick, no!"

"No Hails, it's fine."

Hailey tried to move and step in front of Derrick but he quickly shoved her back behind him.

Derrick shook his head and stood up a little taller, "He won't do it, Hails. He knows that letting us walk out of here is the right thing to do."

Hailey was about to say something but the gun hidden under Derrick's shirt near the back of his pants caught her eye. She knew that the second Derrick reached for it, Ryan would have him on the ground, so she quickly came up with a plan in her head.

"Derrick, are you insane? You and I both know how much she's worth."

Derrick shook his head and stared down the man in front of him, "No, I can't do this to her."

Ryan nodded and put his hand, that was holding the gun, down by his side. Derrick watched him put the gun down and tried to quickly shuffle Hailey out of the door, but he was too late. Ryan had already swung his hand back up and fired the gun.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. The gun fired and pierced Derrick's back the second that Hailey pulled the gun from Derrick's waistband and hit Ryan's chest. Both men fell to the ground almost at the exact same time.

Hailey screamed and fell to her knees the moment she saw that Derrick had been hit.

"Derrick! Derrick, look at me! Keep your eyes open!"

Derrick tried but he could barely hear a word that Hailey was saying. The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt before. "Hailey?" He whispered as he tried to catch his breath while blood started to flow out of his mouth.

"I'm here...you're gonna be okay." Sobbed Hailey as she leaned down close to his face.

"Hailey, do you forgive me?"

Hailey looked at the man in front of her and felt her heartbreak, "Of course I forgive you...you saved me."

Derrick opened his heavy eyes and glanced at the beautiful women in front of him that he still thought of as his little sister, "Always."

His eyes slid closed after that and stayed closed. Hailey screamed and cried as she watched the life bleed out of him. He used to mean so much to her and now he was gone...just gone.

The only thing Derrick Rodgers saw when he closed his eyes and took his last breath was his mom. Rina Rodgers. She died when Derrick was young, so she was one of the only things that Derrick thought about every day. He missed her so much the second she was ripped from him. He cried every night, when he was younger because she wasn't there to rock him and pray with him. He missed everything about her. Her smell, her smile, and most of all her strong, warm hugs. He spent his whole life missing and wishing that he could be with her. But now...he finally could be with her.

Hailey sat there for hours not moving. The last thing she remembered before her eyes closed everything went black, was staring at Derrick's lifeless body and holding his hand.

The next time she woke up she was automatically blinded by an extremely bright incessant light that was screaming for attention. She lifted her head up and sighed with comfort when she realized where she was. She was home back in Chicago.

She knew from the second she gazed at the hospital room she was in that she was at Chicago Med. From the number of times that both she and Jay had to be treated here she had practically memorized every part of their rooms.

"Hey, you." Whispered a voice next to her that Hailey had no idea was there.

She turned her head and felt tears immediately pull in her eyes at the sight of who was in front of her. "Are you really here?" She asked not believing it was him based on the last time that she saw him in almost this same exact place.

Jay let out a small laugh before he got out of the uncomfortable hospital chair and walked over to her bed. "Yeah, I'm really here, Hails."

Tears fell down Hailey's face the moment she heard him speak her name. "I didn't think I was going to see you again."

Jay smiled and gently wiped one of the tears on her cheek. "I'm here, Hailey. I promise it's me."

"I missed you," Whispered Hailey.

"I missed you more than you'll ever know."

Both started at each other for a few minutes before Jay finally made the first move and slowly moved his face to where it was only a few inches from her lips.

"Kiss me," Whispered Hailey to where Jay was the only one on earth who could hear it.

Jay did as she requested and quickly attached his lips to hers. The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but it was nothing short of amazing. Both felt like they just had magic sweep over their bodies.

"Wait!" Suddenly called Hailey, scarring Jay, and making him take a huge step back.

"I'm sorry, Hails. We probably shouldn't have done…"

"No! It's not that. How did you find me?"

Jay felt a wave of relief flood his heart at her saying that she didn't have a problem with the kiss. "I..ugh...I got an email."

"An email? From who?"

Jay waited a second not sure if he should tell her the whole truck yet, "...from Derrick. He sent an email days ago giving me your location and telling me to call the authorities."

"What?" Gasped Hailey.

"Yeah, Hailey it's been almost two weeks ago now. But, he emailed me and told me that he was sorry and that he could never repay for what he did."

Hailey didn't know what to say or do. She wasn't mad at Derrick. How could she be? He saved her again and again. Maybe she should thank him one day. I mean had he not done what he did she and Jay would never be in the place that they were.

"I love you, Hailey."

Hailey's eyes widened and stared down Jay.

"I know that neither of us has a clue what this is yet, but losing you for that long and not knowing if you were okay or not, really made me realize that I love you."

Hailey smiled and pulled Jay closer by his hand, "I...love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sorry, for any spelling or grammar mistakes! I usually write late at night without my glasses on. Lol!


End file.
